The Hatchling
by Lancelotlaureate
Summary: Ian and Barbara never expected to be parents quite so soon.


"What time do you think it is Barbara?"

Ian had asked her the same question five times in what she could gather had been around only ten minutes of time. She ignored him and continued to stare around the cave that they'd been waiting in for the Doctor and Vicki for what seemed like an eternity. She told herself never to believe the Doctor ever again if he was to say that he'd only go exploring for a few moments. They'd taken shelter in the cave after a downpour of rain and they'd started a fire to keep warm. Vicki, ever the optimist was sure the rain would die down and it was not going to stop her from gallivanting off in all directions. So Ian and Barbara waited.

"How long do you suppose we should wait before we go look for them?" Ian asked.

Ian's face was lit by the several lanterns the Doctor had given them when he'd told them to take shelter. If he'd also supplied some matches, they wouldn't have had to resort to making fire the old-fashioned way to keep warm. Why didn't the Doctor ever remember to take matches or a lighter or anything remotely useful on unknown planets?

"I'm not sure, they have been awfully long." She looked anxiously through the entrance to the cave and sighed. "They could have got into trouble I suppose."

"Knowing them it's inevitable."

"Of course it's probably more dangerous in here. I dread to think what's lurking about."

Ian's stomach rumbled loudly at that moment and Barbara instinctively jumped at the noise, startled for a instant. Ian smirked. "I'm afraid I'm hungry."

"Rather your rumbling stomach than a rumbling bear," she said as she wrapped her arms around herself, trying not to think of the manner of creature that could lurk in a cave. The Doctor had assured them that the cave was unoccupied but somehow that didn't make her feel any less anxious.

"We'll have to eat soon though. Don't suppose there's any grub in here?"

Barbara looked around and sighed. "I should have packed sandwiches."

Ian picked up one of the lanterns and shone it into the corner of the cave. He narrowed his eyes as he looked down at something round that didn't look brown like the rest of the rocks and boulders.

"Hello, what's this?" he said as he neared his finding and crouched down beside the round object.

Barbara called him back, but when he didn't listen she followed him and stood behind him. "What's wrong?"

"Look Barbara, it's an egg of some kind. A giant egg!"

"Oh no we've shrunk again!"

Ian laughed. "I wonder why it's in this cave all alone. I hope it doesn't hatch."

"It might not be alone…"

Ian looked at her and gulped. He took a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching them. "I don't suppose you'd fancy a boiled egg?"

Barbara slapped him on the arm. "Oh Ian, that's not funny. I wonder what's inside."

"I'm not sure that's really an answer I want to know. It's a large egg so I'm betting its parents are also on the large side."

"Oh let's get out of here. I'm sure its parents will be back soon, and I'd rather not be here when they get here."

Ian agreed and lifted the lantern away from the egg. They were about to gather their things and wait outside for the Doctor when Barbara noticed the egg shell had started to crack along its surface. "Ian, I don't want to worry you but the egg's trembling."

"Well it's either hatching or there's an earthquake."

They both stood in awestruck as they peered down at the egg as it slowly cracked and moved and jolted until at last a small creature burst through the shell and opened its eyes to the light of the lantern. Ian and Barbara stepped back one pace as they stared at the scaly reptile-like creature that was covered in a weird green gooey like substance. "Don't get too close," Ian said but Barbara stepped forward intrigued.

"It's just a tiny baby Ian, we can't leave now. We'll have to wait for its mother to come for it."

Ian gulped. He didn't want to imagine explaining anything to the mother of this particular hatchling. He leaned in carefully toward the scaly creature and reached out his hand gently, trying not to cause any distress. The creature suddenly scurried onto Ian's arm and ran up toward his chest where it snuggled in his grasp and looked up at him, letting out a high-pitched cry.

"I think he thinks you're its mother," Barbara said with a fond smile.

He cradled the creature anxiously, rocking it gently as it nuzzled against him and let out more high-pitched cries. "I suppose that means you're the father," he told Barbara as she leaned over and stroked the creature.

"It's very clever."

"He looks a bit like a dinosaur," Ian said. "I hope the old boy's not set us down in dinosaur country."

Barbara examined the baby creature curiously. "He looks a strange colour for a dinosaur. I think he looks alien. He certainly doesn't look like anything I've seen before."

"He's a fidgety little fellow," Ian said as he struggled to keep the creature in his grasp. "He moves well for a newborn doesn't he?"

"Let me hold him," Barbara offered. "Come here little one. He's quite cute isn't he?"

The creature scurried from Ian's arms and ran into Barbara's arms instead. Before she had the chance to settle it comfortably, it'd shot away and ran onto the top of her head, wrapping itself around her hair. Ian couldn't help but laugh at the sight of a small tongue peaking out from behind Barbara's bouffant.

"Oh Ian it's tickling me!"

"He thinks you're a nest Barbara!" Ian laughed out loud but Barbara was not amused at the creature yanking at her hair in the way it was.

"Get him out!"

"I think he's cold Barbara. You're hair is good insulation. We need to find a way to keep it warm."

He looked down at his body. Of all days not to have worn a jacket or a jumper! He then looked at Barbara and inspiration struck. "Barbara? May I …uh… borrow your cardigan?"

Barbara sighed. "Oh not again." She let Ian take the cardigan off of her whilst she tried to contain the baby hatchling in her grasp as it scurried around her shoulders. Finally, Ian grabbed the creature from Barbara and scooped it into his own arms again, throwing the cardigan over it and gently wrapping the baby fully in the material. He looked down at the baby and smiled. "There we are. Good things to do with a cardigan, number two- wrap a baby alien in it."

"My cardigan you mean? It's never your cardigans," she let out with a mutter under her breath.

Ian gently lifted the creature back onto the ledge. It had started to relax in the warmth of the cardigan and was closing its eyes as if to sleep. Every few moments the creature's eyes opened and it was clear the baby was unsettled, tired, and hungry.

"Maybe we ought to sing to it," Barbara said. "The poor thing is probably missing its mummy and I dread to think what's going to happen if we can't feed him soon."

Ian watched as Barbara leaned over the bundle and started to sing a gentle lullaby. He wanted to laugh at how out of tune her singing voice was but at the same time he thought it was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen.

As the hatchling seemed to fall asleep under Barbara's tuneless lullaby, Ian sighed with apprehension. "I really think we need to think about the fact that either its mother will be along any time now, or it's been abandoned in which case we have a baby to take care of for good."

"The Doctor may know how to take care of it if it comes to that. He's good with creatures and biology and all those things."

Ian let out a big yawn as he watched the cardigan- that was wrapped around the hatchling- move up and down gently with each unique noise the creature made. He smiled. "It's quite fun being a parent really."

"It's not quite the same, but I know what you mean."

"It's a shame he's not a little bigger because we could play horsey around the cave. I always wanted to do that with my own children one day."

He gave Barbara a bashful glance and then averted her gaze. She smiled and thought for a moment, thinking of all the pressures that came with having a child. She'd never been sure if she was going to become a mother, she'd decided to see where life took her before making plans that she may not be able to fulfil. Ian on the other hand seemed sure that he wanted to become a father one day. In fact he seemed a little downbeat for a moment.

"I don't suppose I'll have any now," he said.

"Oh don't say that Ian. It's not too late. We may get home and then…"

He looked over to her and smiled, wondering why she didn't finish her sentence. "Have children?"

Barbara laughed with embarrassment. "Well something like that."

"You'd be a good mother Barbara; you even have nesting material as a hairdo."

She leaned across to swipe him. "Well if the creature takes after you his head may grow too large."

Ian laughed. He looked to the entrance of the cave and scratched his chin. "Can you hear something?"

She stopped what she was doing and listened carefully, hoping it was footsteps of a human and not the sounds of some huge beast ready to devour them. She followed Ian, who had picked up the bundle, out of the cave and into the light outside. Their eyes squinted in the sunlight and it took a moment for them to adjust. The baby creature remained asleep.

"Ian! Barbara!" a voice said excitedly. It was Vicki's voice and she sounded so pleased to see them as they came to the entrance of the cave. She was a little wet from the downpour outside but she remained as chipper as always. She looked down at the bundle they were carrying and shrieked with excitement.

"What's that?"

Barbara looked at Ian and smiled. "We sort of became parents."

She held the bundle toward Vicki and the young girl's face lit up with glee as she stared at the strange little alien creature that was nestled in Barbara's cardigan, sleeping peacefully. "It's adorable! Can we keep it?"

"We're not sure who it belongs to Vicki."

"Well what shall we call it? It has to have a name."

"How about dinky Chesterton?" Barbara said.

"Isn't that Ian's nickname?" Vicki replied with a devious grin. Ian glared at her the way he did when his pupils were being unruly. He was about to reply when she began to move away.

"I'll fetch the Doctor," she said as she gave them no time to answer. She hurried away from the entrance and bashed into the old man who had made his way to their location. He harrumphed as they collided.

"My dear Vicki, what is happening? Why are you running like some sort of gazelle, has someone been hurt hmm?"

Vicki giggled. "Oh no, it's nothing like that. In fact it's rather marvellous. Ian and Barbara have a baby!"

The Doctor nodded and then the realisation of her words struck him. "Goodness gracious child how long have we been gone?"

Vicki clutched her stomach in laughter and then pulled him by his sleeve to the entrance where Ian and Barbara were standing next to one another, Barbara still carrying the bundle like a baby. The Doctor gasped. He looked down at the creature wrapped in the cardigan and smirked.

"I see it has its father's looks."

"Now listen here," Ian began. But as he started his speech, there was a loud roaring sound from behind the Doctor that took immediate precedence. Ian trembled on the spot. "That definitely wasn't my stomach," he said.

Before there was a chance to make out what was happening, a large reptilian-like creature emerged into the clearing and roared again. Vicki, Ian, and Barbara clung onto each other in shock as the Doctor stood defiantly clutching his lapels. The creature started to make its way toward the group slowly.

"Perhaps we should give the little one back to its mother now," Vicki said hurriedly as she took the cardigan off the hatchling and rested the baby onto the ground in front of them. The travellers all stepped back a pace as they waited for the giant beast to examine the baby creature and realise it was unharmed.

"Well you got what you came for," the Doctor said as though it understood him completely. "Off with you hmm?"

The creature scooped the little baby into its mouth and turned away sharply and raced away back into the forest. Ian and Barbara finally let go of each other when they realised they were safe from harm.

"Oh I didn't get to say goodbye," Barbara said with a sigh. "I grew quite attached to that little thing."

"Well come along, come along," the Doctor said. "You'll have plenty of time to have one of your own, and hopefully it'll have his mother's looks." He chuckled loudly.

Ian moaned. "I'll have you know I was a very cute little baby. I won the Sunderland bonny baby competition in 1935."

Barbara turned back to face him. "Oh and what makes you assume you'll be the father?"

Ian felt his face burning up with embarrassment. Vicki and the Doctor laughed beside him and they motioned for him to get moving toward the TARDIS.

Ian, desperately trying to lessen his awkwardness, picked up Barbara's cardigan from the ground and handed it to her. "There we are," he said. "At least you got your cardigan back."

"Oh yes. All I have to do is find a washing machine with a 'remove alien goo' button and we're fine."

Vicki laughed loudly. "The Doctor has one of those!"

They all laughed in unison as they walked in the direction of the TARDIS. "Did you really win a bonny baby competition in 1935?" Barbara asked as she linked her arm through Ian's.

"I most certainly did. I'll tell you all about it on the walk back to the ship."


End file.
